Tree Conservation Through Photography with Tj Watt

DF Connection

Meet TJ Watt, Big Tree Hunter and co-founder of the Ancient Forest Alliance. TJ is an award-winning nature and conservation photographer from British Columbia whose images have helped bolster campaigns to secure the protection of important environmental areas.

In this episode, TJ explains how he got interested in big trees, what it's like to climb into old-growths, and how he came about his Before & After photography series. He also explains his connection to the Big Lonely Doug, the 2nd largest Douglas Fir in Canada that is located in South West Vancouver Island.

Visit TJ's website at tjwatt.com to see his Before & After series and other images of old-growth trees. You can follow TJ on Instagram at @tjwatt and @ancientforestalliance. Photo Credit: ⁠⁠TJ Watt⁠⁠ - ⁠⁠Ancient Forest Alliance

This podcast is part of READ & RIDE, a program from Dirty Freehub that matches 5-star gravel routes with books to create a memorable journey. The book in this series is "Big Lonely Doug: The Story of One of Canada's Last Great Trees" by Harley Rustad. The bike routes for visiting Big Lonely Doug and other old-growth trees mentioned in the book will be available on Dirty Freehub beginning July 12, 2023.

For more information about the program, including a documentary video that follows TJ Watt as he hunts for the biggest trees on southern Vancouver Island, visit https://dirtyfreehub.org/read-ride/biglonelydoug/.

This podcast is produced by Dirty Freehub, a nonprofit organization that publishes hand-curated (and great!) gravel cycling route guides. Our mission is to connect gravel cyclists to where they ride through stories about culture, history, people, places, and lands with the hope that they will become involved as advocates, volunteers, or donors with organizations that protect and preserve recreation spaces.

Our Podcast Channel / ⁠The Connection

⁠Our Route Guides / ⁠Dirty Freehub⁠

Our Ask / ⁠Donate